Deadliest Players Bowlers

Allan Donald

Allan Donald , nicknamed white lightning , is a player hailing from South Africa. He was an express speed bowler who could turn the ball both ways and could get batsman out creatively if he wanted to. For the most part of his career , he was the sole spearhead of the bowling line up and the first fast bowler of the south Africa since their induction into ICC in 1992. He picked up 272 wickets at an average of 21.78 and was a vital part of the team’s world Cup campaigns. He is the highest wicket taker in world Cup for his team. He last played an ODI in 2003.

Brad Hogg

Brad Hogg is an bowling all-rounder hailing from Australia. His career has been a trajectory of sorts as Shane Warne and Stuart Mcgill overshadowed him. However he got his chance in the limited overs format where he made himself an integral part whether with the bat or ball in hand. He is Australia’s third highest wicket taker in world cups and was a part of 2 world cup winning teams of ’03 and ’07. He is a left arm china man and an aggressive batsman if need be. He is currently retired from longer formats of the game and focuses completely on T20i for his team.

Brett Lee

Brett Lee , affectionately known as ‘binga’ by his team mates , belongs to Australia. A fiery fast right arm bowler , he has taken 380 wickets at an average of 23.6 a piece . At his peak , he was amongst the top fast bowlers of his time , a title he often shared with Akhtar . He generated a lot of pace and bounce from the pitch and got 9 five wicket hauls in his career. He was also handy with the bat , where he contributed in lower order runs in all formats of the game. A vital part of 3 world cup campaigns, he retired from international cricket at the end of 2012.

Chaminda Vaas

Chaminda Vaas is a Sri Lankan left arm fast bowler. He is easily the best opening bowler of his country , successful in both sub continental wickets and abroad as well. He is one of the few bowlers that has crossed the 400 ODI wicket marks, having picked them at 27.53. He has an array of bowling varieties and though not fast in pace, he makes it up for pitching the ball in right areas and swinging it. He was a part of 3 World Cup teams. He played his last One Day International in 2008.

Glenn Mcgrath

Glenn Mcgrath is an Australian opening bowler . He was an integral part of the Australian bowling lineup for over a decade in which he decimated every batting lineup in the world in both formats . He averaged 21.64 and 22.02 in tests and ODI respectively. He holds the record for the most wickets in World Cups and the best bowling figures in a world cup as well ( 7-15 against Namibia ) . Along with Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee , he formed the backbone of one of the best test sides of all times. He retired after winning the 2007 World Cup.

Jacob Oram

Jacob Oram is a bowling all rounder for New Zealand whose career span was a little more than a decade. He is the highest wicket taker for New Zealand in World Cups with a tally of 36 wickets from 21 matches. What he lacked in pace , he made up for it in variations and pitching the ball in right areas. He was a consistent performer for the team for most part of his career and whenever fitness allowed. His contributions with the bat are considerable as well and he has scored 2434 runs with the bat at a strike rate of 86.61. A valuable player for New Zealand , he retired from test cricket in 2009.

Javagal Srinath

Javagal Srinath was an India paceman who played from 1991 to 2003. In his stint as a fast bowler he picked up 315 wickets in One Day Internationals. Perhaps the best Indian paceman after Kapil Dev, he bowled with pace in his earlier part of career. Later on his career , he added variations to his bowling to adapt to sub continental pitches . He also chipped in handsomely in his team’s World Cup 2003 campaign. He has 3 five wicket hauls in career where he averaged 28.08 balls per wicket.

Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan is a Sri Lankan offspinner. He is the current holder for the most wickets in tests with his tall tally standing at 800 wickets. He has also taken 534 wickets in ODIs at an average of 23.08. He was the part of the team that won the World Cup in 1996. His ability to turn the ball sharply , extricating bounce from the pitches and his cheerful disposition has earned him the nick of ‘ the smiling assasin’ . Whether at home or abroad, Murlitharan has always been a vital asset to the captain whenever the ball has been thrown to him. He was part of the last World Cup squad of Sri Lanka.

Wasim Akram

The sultan of swing and the hero of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup win in Australia, Wasim Akram needs no introduction to a Pakistani fan. Left arm fast bowler who could swing it both ways, had reverse swing in his arsenal and had variations in his sleeve, Wasim Akram bamboozled the best batsman of his time with his craft. He was part of 5 World Cup campaigns in which he contributed handsomely. He took 502 wickets in his ODI career at an average of 23.52 . Perhaps the best left arm bowler of all time , he retired after 2003 World Cup.

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan is an Indian left arm bowler who made his ODI debut in 2000 against Kenya. He has enjoyed considerable success with the ball and was pacy early on, in his career. With time his pace diminished as injuries played their part but he accumulated experience with time and picked up 282 wickets at 29.43 in ODI format. He was vital part of Indian World Cup campaign as he spearheaded the bowling department. A loss of form has since seen him slip and he is not a regular choice in the playing 11. His tally of 44 wickets in World Cups is the most for an Indian bowler.